Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Thoughts: A second stint for Gaudreau in Calgary?

Classic_Sniper · 11-06-2023, 06:34 PM

100% easy yes for me. First of all, the fact that Gaudreau's contract is 2 years shorter in length than Huberdeau is absolutely massive.

As for a straight up comparison standpoint in terms of analyzing their games, Gaudreau would be a much better fit here because his strengths would shore up a lot of this roster's weaknesses. The first one I can think of being zone exits and zone entries on the PP and 5 on 5. The majority of this roster is awful at gaining the zone and they routinely kill PP time because they can't cleanly enter the zone with possession. Having someone who's elite in this department would certainly help the team's efficiency and productivity on the rush and on the PP.

Game breaking ability is another area in which this team badly misses his presence. Gaudreau wasn't the fastest player on the ice, but his anticipation and quickness allowed him to get a step ahead of the opposition to all kind of breakaways, odd man rushes and etc. The current roster doesn't seem to have the same flare or penchant for breakaways. Does the team even have a breakaway goal yet this season?

Net penalty differential, in other words, how many penalties drawn vs how many penalties taken. Gaudreau was a penalty drawing machine, in fact, statistically, he was #1 in the entire NHL with 167 from the time he entered the league to the time he left the Flames. It wasn't really close among Flames ranks with Tkachuk at 56 and Monahan at 24, really, only McDavid was close. So, Gaudreau certainly gave his team ample time on the PP while being disciplined himself. A team struggling to score could definitely use as many man advtantage opportunities as possible.

EDIT: Also forgot to mention Overtime. Don't have the stats off the top of my head, but this team looked a lot better with Gaudreau anchoring 3 on 3 overtime vs whatever the heck they've got going on right now.

11-06-2023, 06:34 PM	#113
Classic_Sniper #1 Goaltender Join Date: Jul 2008 Exp:	100% easy yes for me. First of all, the fact that Gaudreau's contract is 2 years shorter in length than Huberdeau is absolutely massive. As for a straight up comparison standpoint in terms of analyzing their games, Gaudreau would be a much better fit here because his strengths would shore up a lot of this roster's weaknesses. The first one I can think of being zone exits and zone entries on the PP and 5 on 5. The majority of this roster is awful at gaining the zone and they routinely kill PP time because they can't cleanly enter the zone with possession. Having someone who's elite in this department would certainly help the team's efficiency and productivity on the rush and on the PP. Game breaking ability is another area in which this team badly misses his presence. Gaudreau wasn't the fastest player on the ice, but his anticipation and quickness allowed him to get a step ahead of the opposition to all kind of breakaways, odd man rushes and etc. The current roster doesn't seem to have the same flare or penchant for breakaways. Does the team even have a breakaway goal yet this season? Net penalty differential, in other words, how many penalties drawn vs how many penalties taken. Gaudreau was a penalty drawing machine, in fact, statistically, he was #1 in the entire NHL with 167 from the time he entered the league to the time he left the Flames. It wasn't really close among Flames ranks with Tkachuk at 56 and Monahan at 24, really, only McDavid was close. So, Gaudreau certainly gave his team ample time on the PP while being disciplined himself. A team struggling to score could definitely use as many man advtantage opportunities as possible. EDIT: Also forgot to mention Overtime. Don't have the stats off the top of my head, but this team looked a lot better with Gaudreau anchoring 3 on 3 overtime vs whatever the heck they've got going on right now. Last edited by Classic_Sniper; 11-06-2023 at 06:37 PM.